Habs players at the Olympics: a Stanley Cup before an Olympic gold medal

Pablo Herrera-Vergara
Habs players at the Olympics: a Stanley Cup before an Olympic gold medal
Credit: TLMEP/Tout le monde en parle

In this week's malaise category, I present the interview of four Canadiens players on Tout le monde en parle.

Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, Oliver Kapanen, and Alexandre Texier were invited on the show to talk about their respective countries' selection for the Olympic Games.

Did you listen to the interview?

Before we get back to the malaise, let's talk about the most interesting topic of the interview.

The players were asked if they'd rather win the Stanley Cup or an Olympic medal.

Texier was quick to reply that he'd take the Stanley Cup because it's a more realistic goal, him being French. Slafkovsky (a Slovak) replied the same. Kapanen (Finnish) and Suzuki (the Canadiens) were a little more doubtful, as they have a real chance of winning gold, but both also chose the Stanley Cup.

Still, I'm surprised by the responses. I didn't expect all the players to choose the Olympic medal, but some did. But at the same time, they know what kind of market they're in…

The question wasn't about the realism of the achievement. We often hear that winning an Olympic gold medal for your country is the pinnacle for an athlete.

The four players also had to answer a question about the popular Heated Rivalry series, which is the talk of the world for the love story between two rival players. This opened the discussion on homosexuality in hockey.

Suzuki said that a homosexual player would be welcome in the locker room, and Texier added that it wasn't a taboo subject.

Now, back to the interview itself. It was a symbol of discomfort, as Guy A. Lepage and MC Gilles' questions weren't always targeted at a particular player.

Players “passed” the puck back and forth, creating confusion. In an interview where three of the four players had earpieces to help them understand the questions, this was not a success.

Just like on the ice, no one wanted to take the shot and let the others take it. And just like on the ice, it wasn't ideal.

Then Nick Suzuki was asked about his knowledge of French. All he came out with was, “Bonjour, je m'appelle Nick Suzuki. Comment ça va?”

The question about his French was bound to come up. Perhaps Suzuki should have prepared a better answer, especially since he doesn't do so badly.


Overtime

– It's going to be expensive.

– Sounds like a lot of time.

– Great season for Kindel.

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